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A PET READER 


by 

EDITH WILHELMINA LAWSON, A.B. 

Primary Teacher, Rockford (III.) Public Schools 
Author of Better Health for Little Americans 



Illustrated by 
Ludwig and Regina 
and Leone Schwem 


BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY 
CHICAGO 



re-'" 


Copyright, 1926 
By Beckley-Cardy Company 
All rights reserved 




Printed in the United States of America 

'DEC 30'^926 

©C1A957873 

I 


I 


L 

THE STORIES 


Kindness to Animals. 7 

Our Pets . 9 

Dogs and Puppies 

A Little Dog. 12 

My Dog. 13 

Other Dogs . 14 

A True Dog Story. 15 

My Uncle's Dog. 16 

A Little Doggy. 17 

Harriet and the Dog.. 18 

Ben . 19 

Donald's Pet Dog. 21 

A Brave Dog.•. 23 

Pal . 24 

“Doggy, You Must Promise". 25 

A Queer Mother Dog. ... 26 

One Little Dog. 28 

Spot . 29 

A Loving Friend. 30 

The Dog and the Frog. 31 

The Story of a Dog and a Cat. 33 

The Dog's Food. 35 

Kittens and Cats 

Willing to Help.. 38 

How My Kitten Plays. 39 

Ding Dong!. 41 


3 


























What Kittens Do. 42 

The Pussy Cat. 44 

The Kitten's Food. 45 

Two Friends. 47 

The Kitten at Play. 49 

The Kitten and the Falling Leaves. 50 

Keeping Clean . 51 

The Cat and the Rat. 52 

The Ways of a Cat. 53 

The Cat and the Dog. 54 

Hens and Chickens 

How to Get Breakfast. 56 

Our Chickens . 57 

The Clucking Hen. 59 

My Pet Hen. 60 

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo . 61 

Grandmother's Chickens . 62 

A Queer Hen. 65 

Canary Birds 

Sing, Little Bird. 68 

Buttercup . 69 

How We Care for Our Canary. 71 

The Little Bird. 72 

The Bird's Bath. 73 

Cleaning the Canary's Cage. 74 

My Grandmother's Canary. 76 

Wild Birds 

Bird Trades . 78 

Mother Robin. 79 

The Bird with a Broken Wing. 81 

4 





























The Sparrow . 83 

A Bird House. 84 

The Woodpecker's Nest. 85 

The Building of the Nest. 87 

How We Help the Birds. 88 

Carrier Pigeons . 90 

The Pigeons . 91 

The Swallow. 92 

A Song . 92 

More Feathered Pets 

Why Some Birds Hop and Others Walk. 94 

Ducks on A Farm. 95 

Quack, Quack . 96 

Polly . 97 

Doves . 100 

The Turtle Doves' Nest.101 

Our Dove .102 

A Turkey Story.103 

The Turkey Gobbler.104 

Horses and Ponies 

Dobbin .106 

A Gentle Horse.107 

Horses ..* 109 

My Pony.Ill 

My Cousin's Pony. 112 

Jean's Riding Horse.114 

“A Farmer Went Trotting".116 

Rabbits 

The Rabbits .118 

Rabbits .119 

5 





























Little Bunnies .121 

My Soldier Rabbits.122 

Squirrels 

The Squirrels and the Gun.126 

Some Squirrels I Watched.127 

Eating Nuts.129 

The Lost Nut. 131 

The SquirreFs Arithmetic.133 

Whisky Frisky.134 

Other Pets 

Come, My Children.136 

A Pet Goat.137 

The Sheep .139 

Mary's Lamb .140 

The Cow .142 

In the Meadow.143 

My Father's Fox.144 

The Little Foxes.145 

Our Monkey .146 

The Monkey and the Hand-Organ Man.147 

The Monkey Man.149 

Our White Mice.150 

A Little Mouse.151 

My Uncle's White Mice. 152 

The Mice . ../.153 

The Two Gold Fishes.154 

Aunt Minnie's Gold Fish.156 

Where the Stream Runs Blue.158 

Frogs at School.159 

About the Book.160 


6 






























Kindness to Animals 

Little children, never give 

Pain to things that feel and live. 

Let the gentle robin come 

For the crumbs you save at home. 

As his meat you throw along, 

He’ll repay you with a song. 

Never hurt the timid hare. 

Peeping from her green grass lair; 
Let her come and sport and play 
On the lawn at close of day. 

The little lark goes soaring high 
To the bright windows of the sky. 
Singing as if ’twere always spring 
And fluttering on an untired wing. 
Oh! let him sing his happy song. 
Nor do these gentle creatures wrong. 


7 



8 

































Our Pets 

Boys and girls, do you like pets? 

Have you any pets? 

Thirteen children in our room 
have pets. 

Marion has a little kitten. 

Fred has a cat, a little dog, 
and eight puppies. 

A little puppy is Helen’s pet. 

Edwin has a mother cat and a 
baby kitten. 

Leslie’s father has a fox and a 
little rabbit. 


9 


Frances has a pet chicken. 

Edna has a little billy goat. 

Norman has a pet cat. 

Eight little chickens are Lucile’s 
pets. 

The children love their pets. 

They try to take good care of 
their pets. 

We are going to tell you about 
our pets. 

We shall tell you about other 
pets, too. 

We hope that you will enjoy reading 
about them. 


10 



11 













A Little Dog 

I have a little dog, 

With soft, long hair that curls. 
And bright, black, sparkling eyes— 
And he loves little girls. 

He never barks or bites. 

His temper is so mild. 

And he dearly loves to play 
With every little child. 


12 


My Dog 

My dog plays with me. 

He plays with the grass, too. 

Sometimes he barks at me. 

My dog licks my hand. 

That is the way he tells me 
that he likes me. 

Once, when I went to school, 
my puppy ran after me. 

He tore my dress. 

When I play with my jacks, 
my puppy takes them. 

My dog is a very good playmate. 

13 


Other Dogs 

I like my own dog, 

but I like other dogs, too. 

I know one dog that carries a 

package of meat in his mouth. 

Another dog tries to catch a ball. 

When a boy throws a ball, 
the puppy runs after it. 

One naughty dog chases rabbits 
and squirrels. 

Spot pulls a httle wagon. 

Pet likes to cuddle down 
in the clothes basket. 

Lassie digs holes in the garden. 

Dogs and puppies do many 
interesting things. 


14 


A True Dog Story 

This is a true story. 

My mother told it to me. 

When Earl was a httle baby, 
his father had a dog. 

Earl used to run away from home. 

One day he went down 
to the railroad tracks. 

The dog saw him and followed. 

Later, the dog walked ahead 
of Earl. 

Earl did not know the way home. 

So the dog showed him the way 
home. 

Earl followed the dog and so 
found the way home again. 


15 



My Uncle’s Dog 

My Uncle Frank was a soldier. 
He had an army dog. 

The dog’s name was Buster. 
Buster learned how 

to do many things. 


16 







He knew how to mind quickly. 
When Uncle told him to pick up 
a stick, he did it at once. 

He would pick up a bat, too. 

My uncle had the dog 
for a long time. 

A Little Doggy 
I had a little doggy 

That used to sit and beg; 

But doggy tumbled down the stairs 
And broke his little leg. 

Oh! doggy, I will nurse you. 

And try to make you well. 

And you shall have a collar 
With a little silver bell. 


17 


Harriet and the Dog 

Harriet is little girl two years old. 

One day in June her mother was 
giving her a ride in the carriage. 

Harriet saw a little dog. 

The dog ran after the automobiles 
and tried to catch them. 

When Harriet saw this, she 

turned to her mother and said, 
“Dog chase car.” 

The dog chased other cars, too. 

Harriet thought it was great fun 
to watch the dog do this. 

She enjoyed watching the dog 
chase the cars. 

The dog, too, had a good time. 


18 


Ben 

Ben is a little pet dog. 

He lives in a brick house 
near our school. 

One day the man who owned him 
was out in the yard. 

He had a big football. 

A leather strap was fastened 
to this ball. 

The man threw the ball. 

He said, ‘‘Ben, get the ball.” 

Ben ran and got the ball. 

He carried the ball 

by the leather strap. 

He brought it back to his master. 


19 


One time the ball hit the dog 
on the head. 

Then the dog rolled over 
on the ground. 

He ran after the ball 
many, many times. 

But after a while the man said, 
“This is the last time.” 

He took the ball and went 
into the house. 

He said, “Come on, Ben.” 

The dog obeyed his master and 
followed him into the house. 

I wish that I had a dog like that. 

Do you? 


20 



Donald’s Pet Dog 

Donald had a pet dog. 

His name was Ted. 

One day Ted ran away. 

He stayed away for a long time. 
Then one day he came back. 


21 











He was glad to be home again. 
But Donald was afraid that 
Ted might run away again. 
So, at first, he tied him 
to a long clothes line. 

Soon he noticed that the dog 
was panting. 

Then he took him to the garden. 
He filled a pail with fresh water. 
Ted was very thirsty. 

He drank and drank. 

Ted was grateful to his master 
for the cool drink of water. 
He looked up at Donald 

and wagged his tail as if he 

were saying, “Thank you.” 

22 


A Brave Dog 

I read this story in a newspaper. 

It was midnight. 

The people were all fast asleep. 

The house was burning. 

A pet dog saw the smoke, 

and knew there was a fire. 

The dog barked and barked, 

until he awoke all the people. 

He saved the lives of all the people. 

He saved the life of a baby, too. 

But the dog himself was so 
badly burned that he died. 

The people buried him 

in a little grave in a back yard. 

They will never forget this brave dog. 

23 


Pal 

One day in April we drove 
to a farmhouse. 

The farmer had a little puppy 
only three weeks old. 

He was brown and white. 

We bought the dog for ten dollars. 

We brought him home 
in a little basket. 

Now he lives at our house. 

We feed him toast and milk. 

He is still a puppy. 

Sometimes he is very naughty. 

He even goes into our beautiful 
pansy bed. 


24 


But he is slowly learning 
how to behave. 

His name is Pal. 

When he grows up, 

he will be a big, beautiful collie. 

“Doggy, You Must Promise” 

Oh, doggy, you must promise 

(And mind your word you keep). 
Not once to tease the little lambs. 

Or run among the sheep; 

And then the little yellow chicks 
That play upon the grass. 

You must not even wag your tail 
To scare them as you pass. 


25 



A Queer Mother Dog 

I live on a farm, 

and own a dog named Happy. 
One summer day I missed Happy. 

I looked for her near the farmhouse, 
but could not find her. 

Then I went out into the field. 


26 






Suddenly I came upon Happy. 

I was so surprised when I found her. 

She was playing “Mother.” 

Guess who her children were! 

They were not little puppies at all. 

They were httle rabbits. 

I do not know where 

the mother rabbit was. 

I never saw her. 

But every day Happy would go 
into the field. 

She watched to see that no harm 
should come to the little rabbits. 

One day I heard Happy barking 
in the field. 


27 


When I came near, I found 

that she was barking because 
the rabbits had disappeared. 

Happy missed them very much, and 
for many days she seemed lone¬ 
some without her baby rabbits. 



ii 


Now, was not Happy a queer 
mother dog? 


One Little Dog 

Four little doggies sit in a row— 
Bow-wow, bow-wow-wow, 
all of them go. 

Three little dogs can add to the fun. 
Two little dogs are better than one. 
But one little dog is better than none. 


28 


Spot 

When I go to school, 

my dog Spot follows me. 

I try to get him to go back home. 

I say to him, ‘‘Spot, go home!” 

But he wants to say “Good-by” 
to me. 

He lifts his paw as if he 
wished to shake hands 
and say “Good-by.” 

I shake his paw 

and then Spot goes home. 

When he sees my mother, he barks. 

I think he wants to tell my mother 
that I have gone to school. 


29 


When my sister and I come home 
from school, Spot is so glad 
that he runs to meet us. 

When my father comes home, 

Spot says “Bow, wow!” 

That is his way of saying “Hello.” 

A Loving Friend 

Ah! doggy, don’t you think 

That you should very faithful be. 
For having such a loving friend 
To comfort you as me? 

And when the school is over. 

And we can run and play. 

We’ll have a scamper in the fields 
And see them making hay. 

30 



The Dog and the Frog 

One day my dog Jip 

went out into the garden. 

A frog came into the garden, too. 
Jip had never seen a frog. 

Perhaps the frog had never seen 
a dog. 


31 
















So Jip and the frog 
were both surprised. 

Of course the frog 

was much smaller than Jip. 

I thought that the frog 
would be frightened. 

But he didn’t seem to be. 

He just looked at Jip and blinked 
his eyes. 

Jip looked at the frog, too. 

He really wanted to touch the frog. 

But Jip was afraid of the little frog, 
and ran back to the house. 

I didn’t believe that Jip 

would be such a coward. 

I was ashamed of him. 


32 


The Story of a Dog and a Cat 

One day I was out in our back yard. 

I was making a bird house. 

While I was working, I noticed 
a dog and a cat. 

The dog started to chase the cat. 

The cat put up her back, 
and ran away quickly. 

At first she ran in a zigzag way. 

Then she got on a fence. 

Next she jumped upon the barn 
near the fence. 

The dog barked and barked. 

The cat was badly frightened. 

She almost fell off the barn roof. 


33 


She slid part way down, 

but caught herself on a shingle. 

The dog walked round and round. 

He must have wanted 

to make the cat dizzy. 

After a while, the dog gave up trying 
to make the cat come down. 

He went away. 

Then the cat came down. 

I picked up the poor kitty and 
petted her until she went to 
sleep on my lap. 

Why can not dogs and cats be friends 
like little boys and girls? 

Kitty didn’t know—neither did I. 


34 


The Dog’s Food 
I feed my dog. 

After we have eaten our meal, we 
give doggy the food that is left. 
We always put his food on a saucer. 
Then doggy eats the food. 

Dogs like meat and bones. 

Our dog drinks milk, too. 

My puppy is fond of bread and milk. 

I saw one dog eat some salmon. 

A dog named Sport eats potatoes. 
Another dog. Skip, eats candy. 

He likes candy as well as I Hke it. 
One dog eats oatmeal. 

35 


I think he knows that oatmeal 
is good for him. 

Still another dog likes apples. 

My sister’s dog eats cornflakes. 

One dog even likes beans. 

Once we saw a dog 
eating popcorn. 

Some dogs have to hunt 
their own food. 

But most dogs are fed by people 
who give them good food. 

All dogs should have water to drink 
and good food to eat. 

We take good care of our pet dogs. 

We feed them every day. 

36 


Kiilenj’ eind Ce^icf 























Willing to Help 


Six little mice sat down to spin, 

Pussy passed by, and she peeped in. 

“What are you at, my little men?” 
“Making coats for gentlemen.” 

“Shall I come in and bite off 
your threads?” 

“No, no. Miss Pussy, you’ll snip off 
our heads.” 

“Oh, no. I’ll not. I’ll help you to spin.” 
“That may be so, but you don’t come in!” 


38 



How My Kitten Plays 

My kitten plays with a string. 

I hold the string in my hand. 

I drag the string on the ground. 
Then I run as fast as I can. 


39 














The kitten tries to catch the string 
with her paw. 

Sometimes she catches the string. 

Then she puts it into her mouth 
and runs away. 

Sometimes, when she runs after me, 
she stumbles and falls. 

The kitten can not always 
get the string. 

Sometimes I run too fast for her. 

Then she can not catch the string. 

I like to play with my kitten. 

I jerk the string quickly. 

Then kitty jumps. 

But she can not get the string. 


40 


Sometimes I use a tape measure 
instead of a string. 

Kitty tries to get it. 

I often tie a spool to the string. 
Kitty tries to get the spool. 

I think it is fun to play 
with my kitten. 

The kitten likes to play, too. 

Ding Dong! 

Ding dong! ding dong! 

I’ll sing you a song. 

’Tis about my little kitty. 

She’s speckled all over, 

And I know you’ll love her. 
For she is very pretty. 

Eliza Lee Pollen 


41 



What Kittens Do 

Our kitten plays with me. 
Sometimes she is cross. 

Then she scratches my arm. 

If we are unkind to kitty, 
she may scratch us. 


42 








My little kitten plays 

with her mother’s tail. 

Sometimes she rolls on the grass. 

When the kitten falls, she says 
“Meow!” 

I used to have a kitten 

that would chase her own tail. 

Harry’s kitten plays 
with a shoe string. 

Marion’s kitten plays with her toes. 

Another kitten plays with a ball. 

My aunt has a kitten. 

I touched his whiskers. 

He turned his head and tried 
to bite me. 


43 


Next time I am not going to touch 
his whiskers. 

I like to watch the kittens. 

They do so many interesting things. 

The Pussy Cat 

A pussy cat came to our door, 

That we had never seen before. 

He was all cold and wet and thin, 
So Mother went and brought him in. 
And now he lives with us, and he 
Is just as happy as can be— 

All round, and warm, and smooth, 
and fat. 

I love that little pussy cat. 

Edith Ballinger Price 


44 


The Kitten’s Food 

All kittens must have milk to drink. 

I know one kitty that eats fish. 

Another one likes salmon. 

John’s kitten eats potatoes 
and gravy. 

One pet kitten eats oatmeal. 

A kitten named Teddy likes 
ice cream. 

My kitten likes bread and milk. 

She hkes meat very much. 

We put the meat 
on an old plate. 

Then kitty holds the meat 

with her paws and eats it. 


45 


When she smells the meat, 
my kitten always purrs. 

My kitten drinks milk, too. 

We put the milk into a little saucer. 

Then the kitten laps the milk 
from the saucer. 

When my kitten wants something 
to eat, she says “Meow.” 

Then I give her some food. 

Our kitten eats after we have eaten. 

She eats the food that is left over. 

Food makes the little kitten grow. 

I always try to give my kitten 
good food. 


46 



Two Friends 

My grandmother has a pet dog 
and a pet cat. 

They are the best of friends. 


47 













Sometimes both kitty and doggy 
lie down on the same rug 
in front of the fireplace. 

They eat from the same dish, 

and drink from the same pan. 

They both lie down 

in the same old armchair. 

They are good pals. 

Grandmother says that she likes 
both the dog and the cat. 

She is glad that they are 
good friends. 

If they were enemies, 
she wouldn’t know 
what to do with them. 


48 


The Kitten at Play 

I visited a friend’s home. 

They had a kitten. 

The kitten was black and white. 

He was a pretty kitten. 

It was the fall of the year. 

The dead leaves were 
on the ground. 

The kitten saw a pile of leaves 
in the yard. 

The wind blew the leaves. 

The leaves whirled round and round. 

The kitten ran after the leaves. 

He could not catch the leaves. 

One leaf stopped. 


49 


The kitten thought it was a mouse. 
So he put the leaf into his mouth. 

When he found it was not a mouse, 
he dropped the leaf. 

But the kitten still chases leaves. 

I like to watch him play. 

The Kitten and the Falling Leaves 

See the kitten on the wall, 

Sporting with the leaves that fall. 
Withered leaves—one—two— 
and three— 

From the lofty elder tree! 

Through the calm and frosty air 
Of this morning bright and fair. 

William Wordsworth 


50 


Keeping Clean 

Did you ever see a mother cat 
wash herself? 

She wets her fur with her tongue. 

She washes her whole body that way. 

Then she washes her face 
with her wet paw. 

She uses her front paws for hands. 

She likes to keep herself clean. 

She wants the little kittens 
to be clean. 

So she washes them too. 

Mother cat’s fur is shiny. 

She is a very clean cat. 

She is cleaner than some children 
I know. 


51 



The Cat and the Rat 

Once upon a time I had a cat. 
He was a big cat. 

One day he was in the house. 

I opened the door. 

The cat went out-of-doors. 


52 







After a while, he wanted to come back 
into the house. 

He mewed and scratched at the door. 

So I opened the door and let him in. 

I was surprised because he had a rat 
in his mouth. 

The rat was already dead. 

But the cat wanted us to see the rat 
that he had caught. 

I think the cat was proud 
of what he had done. 

The Ways of a Cat 

See the kitten, how she starts. 

Crouches, stretches, paws, and darts! 

William Wordsworth 


53 


The Cat and the Dog 

One Sunday we saw a big cat 
climb up a tree. 

Just then a dog came by. 

The dog tried to get at the cat. 
The dog stood at the foot of the tree 
and barked. 

The cat would not come down. 

The dog barked and barked. 

At last he became very tired. 

Then the dog went away. 

The cat looked all around. 

She did not see the dog anywhere. 
So she climbed down the- tree. 

Then the cat ran home. 


54 
















How to Get Breakfast 

Said the first little chick, 

With a queer little squirm, 

“I wish I could find 
A fat little worm.” 

Said the next little chick. 

With an odd little shrug, 

“I wish I could find 
A fat little bug.” 

Said the third little chick. 

With a shrill little squeal, 

“I wish I could find 
Some nice yellow meal.” 

“See here,” called the hen. 

From the near garden patch, 
“If you want any breakfast 
Just come here and scratch!” 


56 



Our Chickens 

We have a mother hen 

and many little chickens. 

We keep the chickens in a barn. 
When the chickens were very young 
they looked like fluffy balls. 


57 











Every day they go out in the yard. 

The mother hen takes care of them. 

We lost some of our chickens. 

Some were weak and died. 

The rats killed some of the chickens. 

The mother hen stepped on one. 

A board fell on one chicken 
and killed it. 

But we still have many 
baby chickens. 

Mother and I feed the chickens. 

When the chickens were smaller, 
we gave them milk and oatmeal. 

Now we feed them corn. 

We throw the corn on the ground. 


58 


When the chickens see us, 

they come running to the place 
where we are standing. 

They are always glad 

to get something to eat. 

At night the little chicks 
cuddle under the 
mother hen’s wings. 

The Clucking Hen 

The clucking hen sat 
on her nest— 

The nest was in the hay, 
And warm and snug 
beneath her breast 
A dozen white eggs lay. 


59 


My Pet Hen 

I have a pet hen. 

She seems to like to follow me 
around the yard. 

When she gets into the chicken coop, 
she jumps up on the nest 
in a wooden box. 

She lays eggs for us. 

We eat some of the eggs, 
and sell some of them. 

This spring my pet hen 

had some baby chickens. 

She took very good care of them. 

Once when I was feeding my little hen, 
she jumped upon my arm. 


60 


I was frightened. 

I screamed. 

I ran away as quickly as I could. 

But now I am not afraid. 

I still feed my pet hen every day. 

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo 

A little boy got out of bed— 

’Twas only six o’clock— 

And out the window poked his head 
And spied a crowing cock. 

The little boy said, “Mr. Bird, 
Pray tell me, who are you?” 

And all the answer that he heard 

Was, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” 

61 


Grandmother’s Chickens 

My grandmother has some chickens. 

One chicken looks so funny! 

That is because he has not 
many feathers. 

Grandfather helps grandmother 
take care of her chickens. 

Every day my grandfather goes out 
to hunt for eggs. 

Sometimes he finds eight eggs. 

He finds them in the chicken house. 

When grandfather goes 
into the hen house, 
the hens become frightened. 


62 



63 









































They flap their wings, 

and fly to the other end 
of the house. 

My grandfather has a little pan 
that grandmother gave him. 

He puts water into this pan. 

The chickens drink the water. 

Every day grandfather goes 

to the corn-crib to get corn. 

He feeds the corn to the chickens. 

My little cousin likes to play 
with grandmother’s chickens. 

He tries to catch them. 

When he touches them, 
the chickens say 
“Cut-cut, cut-a-cut!” 


64 


A Queer Hen 

In a city in Maine there lives 
a bus driver. 

This bus driver has a pet hen 
that is very tame. 

When the hen hears the driver 

taking the bus out of the barn, 
she runs to the car. 

When the driver takes his seat 
at the wheel, the hen flies up 
and sits beside him. 

As the driver goes from 

town to town, the hen stays 
with her kind friend. 

She stays with him all day long. 

65 


When the bus driver 

returns home at night, 

the hen flies down to the ground. 

Then she runs to the barnyard door, 
and has her supper 
with the other hens. 

After her long automobile trip, 
this hen is very tired. 

So she goes to roost very early 
in the evening. 

After a night’s rest, she is ready to 
start out again in the morning. 

Rain or shine, this hen never misses 
her automobile ride. 

Now, is she not a queer hen? 

66 






























Sing, Little Bird 


Sing, little bird, 

When the skies are blue. 

Sing, for the world 
Has need of you. 

Sing when the skies are overcast. 
Sing when the rain is falling fast. 

Sing, happy heart. 

When the sun is warm. 

Sing in the winter’s 
Coldest storm. 

Sing little songs, 0 heart so true. 
Sing, for the world has need of you. 


68 



Buttercup 

Once I went to my 

grandmother’s house. 

My grandmother gave me a canary. 

69 
















































His name was Buttercup. 

He was called Buttercup because 
his breast was so yellow. 

This canary was a small bird. 

His feathers were black and yellow. 

Buttercup was in a cage. 

When we went home 

my grandmother put paper 
around the cage. 

Then my brother carried the bird 
to our home. 

Now we enjoy the bird very much 
indeed. 

We take the best care of him. 

We like to listen to his sweet song. 

70 


How We Care for Our Canary 

We keep the canary in a cage. 

We place the cage near a window 
where there is much sunshine. 

Every day we feed the canary. 

We put some cuttle bone 
between the bars 
in a corner of the cage. 

We do not give our canary sweet or 
salty food. 

We call our canary Dickie. 

Dickie is fond of lettuce. 

So we often give him lettuce. 

We feed our bird apples, too. 

Sometimes we give him crackers. 


71 


We give bird seed to our canary. 

We put the seed into a dish. 

Then Dickie helps himself. 

He often spills the seed. 

Then my mother has to sweep it up. 

Of course we remember 

to give our bird fresh water 
to drink every day. 

Indeed, we try to take good care 
of our canary. 

Because we care for him, 

Dickie sings sweet songs for us. 

The Little Bird 

“Little bird! little bird! come to me! 

I have a green cage ready for thee.” 

Lydia Maria Child 


72 


The Bird’s Bath 

Our bird has a bath every day. 

We put fresh water into a little dish. 
The bird gets into the dish. 

The dish is his bath-tub. 

First he puts his head into the water. 
He splashes around and has 
a good time in the water. 

After he has had a bath, 
he sits in the sun 
and dries himself. 

When he is dry, he sits on the swing. 
He has a good time swinging himself. 
We hke to watch him swing. 

He seems to enjoy himself so much. 

73 


Cleaning the Canary’s Cage 
We clean the bird’s cage every day. 
First my mother takes down the cage. 
She lifts it off the hook. 

She carries the cage to the kitchen. 
The top is fastened to the bottom 
with hooks or catches. 

Mother unfastens the hooks. 

Then she lifts off the top. 

The canary hops upon the swing. 
Sometimes he flies around the room. 
But he always comes back to the cage. 
My mother removes the paper 
from the bottom of the cage. 
Next, she gets some newspaper. 

She cuts it to fit the cage. 


74 



She always puts fresh sand 

on the bottom of the cage. 

She cleans the bird’s dishes, too. 
She puts fresh water into one dish. 
She puts seed into the other dish. 
Then she hangs the cage on the hook 
near the window. 


75 




















My Grandmother’s Canary 

My grandmother has five 
pet canaries. 

She keeps them in cages. 

One day one of her birds 
became frightened. 

He flew up and struck his head 
against the top of the cage. 

Then he fell down dead. 

This bird was my grandmother’s 
best singer. 

She felt very sorry to lose him. 

She was sad when he died. 

Now she has another singer 
in his place. 

And grandmother is happy again. 


76 




















Bird Trades 

The swallow is a mason, 

And underneath the eaves 

He builds a nest, and plasters it 
With mud and hay and leaves. 

Of all the weavers that I know. 

The oriole is the best; 

High on the branches of the tree 
She hangs her cosy nest. 

The woodpecker is hard at work— 
A carpenter is he— 

And you may hear him hammering 
His nest high up a tree. 

• Some little birds are miners. 

Some build upon the ground. 

And busy little tailors, too. 

Among the birds are found. 


78 



Mother Robin 

One spring day I was playing 
out-of-doors. 

I noticed a mother robin near by. 


79 










She had two baby robins 

in a nest near our porch. 

The nest was up in a maple tree. 

While I was watching, 
the mother bird flew 
to the fence. 

She picked up a worm. 

Then she flew back to the nest. 

The baby birds opened 
their hungry mouths 
very wide. 

Mother Robin gave the worm 
to the baby robins. 

They ate the worm, and said 
“Peep, peep.” 


80 


The Bird with a Broken Wing 

One day I was picking violets 
for mother. 

Two boys whom I knew passed by. 

One of the boys had something 
wrapped up in his handkerchief. 

I asked him what it was. 

He told me that it was 
a little sparrow. 

I looked at the sparrow carefully 
so as not to frighten him. 

I saw that his wing was broken. 

My friend carried the sparrow 
to his home. 

He showed the bird to his father. 

He asked if he could keep it. 


81 



82 















































































































His father said that he must 
take care of the bird 
if he kept it. 

The boy bound the broken wing 
with string and toothpicks. 

The wing was soon as strong as ever. 

Then the little sparrow flew back 
to his friends. 

The Sparrow 

Glad to see you, little bird, 

’Twas your plaintive chirp I heard. 

What did you intend to say? 

“Give me something this cold day?” 

That I will, and plenty, too. 

All these crumbs I saved for you. 


83 


A Bird House 

My cousin made a bird house. 

I liked it so well that I asked him 
to make one for me. 

My cousin made a bird house 
for me, too. 

It took a long time to finish it. 

After it was finished, my cousin 
brought it to our home. 

Then my father put the house 
on the branch of a tree. 

One day I saw a wren fly 
into the house. 

Oh, how glad I was! 

Now many birds seem to enjoy 
the bird house. 


84 



The Woodpecker’s Nest 

We have an old cherry tree 
in our back yard. 


One day last spring we heard 
a pounding noise outside 
our kitchen window. 


85 







Then we noticed that a woodpecker 
was making holes in the tree 
with his strong bill. 

Tiny pieces of wood fell 
to the ground as the 
woodpecker kept boring. 

After a while there was a round hole 
in the cherry tree. 

This hole the woodpecker 
lined with grass. 

It became the nest which one day 
held three eggs. 

Still later, there were three baby birds 
in the nest. 

We liked to watch the woodpeckers 
feed the baby birds. 


86 


One day the birds disappeared, 
and the nest was empty. 

Now I am hoping that next year 
there will be another nest 
in our cherry tree. 

The Building of the Nest 

They’ll come to the apple tree— 
Robin and all the rest— 
When the orchard branches 
are fair to see, 

In the snow of the blossoms 
dressed; 

And the prettiest thing 
in the world will be 
The building of the nest. 


87 


How We Help the Birds 

In the winter time it is very cold. 

The snow often covers the ground. 

Then it is very hard for the birds 
to find food. 

We can help the winter birds 
by giving them crumbs. 

It is fun to do this. 

Sometimes we may throw crumbs 
on the sidewalk. 

At other times we put them 
on the window sill. 

The birds always find the crumbs. 

You may be sure 

that they eat them, too. 


In the summer time 

it is often hot and dry. 

The birds are warm and thirsty. 

So, to help them we put water 
into a pan. 

Then the birds find water to drink. 

Sometimes they bathe in the water. 

They splash around 

and have a good time. 

We can help the birds 

both in summer and in winter. 

In winter we should give the birds 
some crumbs to eat. 

In summer we should give them 
water. 


89 



Carrier Pigeons 
I think these birds 

are called carrier pigeons 
because they carry letters. 

They carry letters and small parcels 
from place to place. 


90 







The letters or parcels are tied 
under the pigeon’s wing. 

This pigeon loves its own home. 

It always will come back 
to its own home. 

It flies very high, 

and comes back home 
in a straight line. 

During the World War, 

the army kept carrier pigeons. 

These carrier pigeons were used 
to carry messages. 

The Pigeons 

The sun is in the sky, 

The pigeons homeward fly. 


91 


The Swallow 

Fly away, fly away over the sea, 
Sun-loving swallow, 

for sununer is done; 

Come again, come again, 
come back to me. 

Bringing the summer 

and bringing the sun. 

Christina G. Rossetti 

A Song 

Ding dong! ding dong! 

I’ll sing you a song. 

’Tis about a little bird. 

He sat on a tree, 

• And he sang to me, 

And I never said a word. 

Eliza Lee Pollen 


92 



















































Why Some Birds Hop and Others Walk 

A little boy said to a little bird, “Stop, 

And tell me the reason you go with a hop. 

Why don’t you walk, as boys do, and men. 

One foot at a time, like a dove or a hen?” 

“Use your eyes, little boy; watch closely and see 

What little birds hop, both feet, just like me. 

And what little birds walk like the duck 
and the hen; 

And when you know that you’ll know more 
than some men. 

“Every bird that can scratch in the dirt 
can walk; 

Every bird that can wade in the water can walk; 

Every bird that has claws to catch prey with 
can walk. 

One foot at a time—that is why they can walk. 

“But most little birds that can sing you a song 

Are so small that their legs are not very strong 

To scratch with, or wade with, or catch things 
—that’s why 

They hop with both feet. Little boy, good-by!” 


94 


Ducks on a Farm 

One day last summer, 
we visited a farm. 

We stayed all night. 

Toward evening, we saw some ducks 
in the barnyard. 

They walked as if they were 
in a parade. 

They looked as if they were playing 
“Stump the leader.” 

When they walked, they waddled 
in such a funny way. 

I laughed when I saw them. 

They said “Quack, quack!” 


95 


Other ducks were swimming 
in a pond. 

The ducks seemed to Hke to swim. 

They said “Quack, quack,” 
over and over again. 

I wish I could swim in the lake 
as well as ducks swim 
in the pond. 

Quack, Quack 

“Quack, quack!” says the duck, 
“Was there ever such good luck! 

Spring has cleared the pond of ice. 
And the day is warm and nice. 

Just as I and Goodman Drake 
Thought we’d like a swim to take.” 


96 



Polly 

Polly is a parrot. 

She has a crooked beak 

and bright colored feathers. 


97 










































































































































Polly likes to scream. 

She eats crackers. 

She says, “Polly wants a cracker!” 
For Polly can talk. 

She can say many things. 

Polly says the same things 
that we do. 

She mocks us. 

If we say kind words, 

Polly says kind words. 

If we say cross words, 

Polly says cross words. 

So we must be careful how we speak. 
When the people pass, Polly says 
“Hello!” 


98 


Sometimes Polly calls “Mamma!” 

She says “Good-by,” too. 

Polly also says “Naughty boy.” 

When I am naughty, 
mother says that. 

Polly mocks mother and says it too. 

Polly says, “Go to bed.” 

Polly can say “Meow,” 

so that it sounds like the cat. 

Polly calls the dog too. 

She calls, “Sport, come here!” 

We talk to Polly 

and Polly talks to us. 

Indeed Polly seems like 
a real playmate. 

99 


Doves 

Doves are such gentle birds 
that we all love them. 

They say “Coo, coo.” 

Some doves are white. 

Other doves are bluish-gray. 

Once I had a gray dove. 

One day my sister and I 

went out on the back porch 
to clean some vegetables. 

The dove flew up on my head. 

My uncle’s doves flew 

into the barn through 
the open door. 


100 


They made their nest 
up in the hayloft. 
Sometimes they flew 
over the meadows. 

They flew far away. 

But they always came back. 

The Turtle Doves’ Nest 

High in the pine tree, 

The little turtle-dove 
Made a little nursery 
To please her little love. 
“Coo,” said the turtle-dove, 
“Coo,” said she. 

In the long shady branches 
Of the dark pine tree. 


101 


Our Dove 

One day my mother saw a dove 
upon the porch. 

The dove was not at all afraid. 

It was so tame that mother thought 
this dove belonged to some one. 

But no one claimed it. 

My mother took the dove 
into our house. 

At first she put it into a basket. 

Later she bought a cage for it. 

Now we keep the bird in a cage. 

Sometimes we let the dove 
out of the cage. 

Then we have a hard time catching it. 

I like this dove. 


102 



A Turkey Story 

I went to pay my friend a visit. 
My friend lived on a farm. 

Her mother had some turkeys. 
She was keeping them 

for Thanksgiving Day. 

I tried to feed the turkeys. 


103 







When they saw me, they said 
“Gobble, gobble!” 

One turkey was a cross gobbler. 

He was such a large turkey 

that when I saw him, I said, 
“Oh, what a big bird!” 

Once this big fat gobbler chased me. 

I was frightened and ran 
as fast as I could. 

The Turkey Gobbler 

Have you seen the turkey gobbler, 
With his loud, important air. 

As he struts about the barnyard 
Like a king without a care? 


104 


Horses e^nH Ponies 

















Dobbin 

Old Dobbin lives in grandpa’s barn 
The whole long winter through, 

But when the summer comes again, 

He has much work to do. 

And so he gets up while it’s dark. 

And eats a little hay. 

Before I am awake at all. 

He’s ready for the day. 

He never says he’d like to rest. 

And I never saw him frown; 

It’s “Dobbin here” and “Dobbin there”— 
He trudges up and down. 

A little boy, when summer comes. 

May run, and shout, and play. 

But Dobbin works from morn till night. 
Each sunny, summer day. 


106 



A Gentle Horse 

I know a horse that lives on a farm. 
He is an old horse, 
but he still works. 


107 








He sometimes pulls the plow. 

I am a little boy 

only seven years old. 

But this horse lets me ride 
upon his back. 

One day I rode across the fields. 

One time a little girl rode 
on this horse’s back. 

She fell off, but she didn’t get hurt. 

She was just frightened. 

The horse was so good 
that he stopped. 

He didn’t move an inch. 

He was ever so still. 

Was he not a sensible horse? 


108 


Horses 

Many horses live on far ms 
where they get plenty 
of grass and hay to eat. 

Some horses work very hard. 

They work in the fields. 

They pull plows and wagons 
and hayracks. 

At night, they stay in the stables. 

In the city, horses pull coal, 
ice and milk wagons. 

The milk wagon horses learn to wait 
for their drivers. 

While the driver delivers the milk, 
his horse stands still. 


109 


Horses are out in all kinds 
of weather. 

Boys and girls, and men and women 
sometimes go riding on horses 
they rent for an hour or more. 

Trained horses can jump over poles. 

Some horses pull circus wagons. 

A long time ago, horses used to 
pull street cars. 

In the city, we don’t see many horses 
any more. 

Automobiles have taken the place 
of horses. 

But still, horses are useful 
and deserve good care. 


no 


My Pony 

My pony has four curving hoofs 
so tiny and so trim, 

You’d be surprised to see how fast 
they trot along with him. 

He has a flowing mane and tail, 
a shining coat of hair. 

And when I get upon his back, 
he takes me everywhere. 

He loves to eat the sugar 

that I bring him in my hand. 
He loves to trot and gallop down 
the street at my command. 

He loves to rub his nose against 
my shoulder, for you see, 

I love my pony dearly 

and I know that he loves me. 

Alice C. D. Riley from Lilts and Lyrics 
Used by permission of Clayton F. Summy Co. 

Ill 



My Cousin’s Pony 

My cousin has a pet pony. 

He is a Shetland pony. 

His name is Teddy. 

My cousin lives near Camp Grant 
and goes to a country school. 
He lives a long way from the school. 
112 





















So, instead of walking, 

he hitches his pony to a cart 
that his father made for him. 

This cart looks like a racing cart. 

My cousin rides to school every day. 

One Saturday, he drove over 
to our home. 

We gave the pony some oats in a sack. 

We laughed when the pony 
spilled the oats. 

My cousin likes his pony 
very much. 

He will not sell him. 

He always tries to give Teddy 
the best of care. 


113 


Jean’s Riding Horse 

Jean is eighteen years old 

and lives on a large farm. 

She is my cousin, and she 
owns a fine riding horse. 

She calls her horse Beauty. 

Beauty has white legs, 

a white spot on his head 
and another white spot 
near his tail. 

One August day Jean 

dressed in a pretty riding suit 
and went for a ride. 

When she came home, 

I was standing near the gate. 

I saw Jean ride toward the barn. 


114 



When she stopped a moment, 
the horse helped himself 
to some grass from the lawn. 
But he had time for just a mouthful. 


115 









For as soon as he started to eat 
Jean got off the horse 
and led him to the barn. 

I think Beauty is like some children. 

He gets so hungry that he 
can’t wait for his dinner. 

“A Farmer Went Trotting” 

A farmer went trotting 
upon his gray mare, 

With his daughter behind him, 
so rosy and fair. 

A raven cried croak! and they 
all tumbled down— 

The mare broke her knees, 
and the farmer his crown. 


116 















The Rabbits 


Between the hill and the brook, 
ook, ook, 

Two rabbits sat in the sun, 0! 

And then they ate the green, 
green grass. 

Till all the grass was gone, 0! 

And when they had eaten enough, 
nough, nough. 

They sat down to have a talk, 0! 

When there came a man with a gun, 
un, un, 

And fired at them over the walk, 0! 

But when they found they were sound, 
ound, ound. 

Nor hurt by the gun, un, un, 0! 

They picked themselves up from the 
ground, ound, ound. 

And scampered away like fun, 0! 

118 


Rabbits 

Rabbits are very timid animals. 

Their ears are very long, 

and their hearing is very keen. 

They like to live in burrows, which 
they dig under the ground. 

Wild rabbits like to run 

about the fields and woods. 

Rabbits have a funny hop. 

When they go from place to place, 
they leap. 

They like cabbage, leaves, carrots, 
beets and clover. 

They are interesting pets. 

Sometimes they become tame enough 
to eat out of our hands. 


119 



120 




































































One rabbit used to like to lie under 
a chair in the living room. 

This rabbit would go into the garden, 
but would always come back 
to the house. 

We do not often let rabbits come 
into the house. 

Little Bunnies 

Little bunnies, oh, take care! 
Beware! 

See the farmer, with keen eye. 
Gun on shoulder, passing by; 
He is fond of rabbit pie! 

So my bunnies, do take care! 
Beware! 

Joseph C. Sindelar 

From Nixie Bunny in Workaday-Land 

121 


My Soldier Rabbits 

A soldier once lived at our house. 

He gave me two rabbits. 

They came in a box. 

This is how it happened: 

I was playing out-of-doors. 

My daddy called me. 

He said that there was a surprise 
for me in the house. 

I went into the house, 

and looked everywhere. 

At last I found the box 
with two rabbits in it 
which the soldier had given to me. 

You may be sure that I was glad. 


122 



The first thing I did was to thank 
the soldier for this surprise. 

My daddy made a house 
for the rabbits. 

We kept it in the back yard. 


123 




















We fed the rabbits dandelion 
and cabbage leaves. 

We gave them carrots, too. 

One day one of the rabbits ran away. 

My mother told me she saw him 
go under the porch. 

A friend named Alex 

crawled under the porch 
and got the rabbit. 

Then we put Bunny back 
into his own house. 

My rabbits sniff in such a funny way. 

Now I can sniff like a rabbit too. 

I call my rabbits “Soldier Rabbits,” 
because a soldier gave them 
to me. 


124 



















The Squirrels and the Gun 

Five little squirrels sitting on a tree, 

This one says, “What do I see?” 

This one says, “I see a gun!” 

This one says, “Come, let’s run!” 

This one says, “Let’s hide in the shade!” 
This one says, “I’m not afraid!” 

Bang! goes the gun 
And all the squirrels run. 


126 


Some Squirrels I Watched 

One day, when I was 
playing out-of-doors, 

I noticed several squirrels. 

They seemed do be playing “Tag.” 

They chattered as they played. 

They ran up and down the trees. 

They went around the trees 
and down to the ground. 

Then they ran up into a tree. 

After a time a dog came. 

The squirrels crossed over on 

a telephone wire to another tree. 

They climbed to the top of this tree. 

127 



The dog grew tired of waiting 

for the squirrels and went away. 

Then the squirrels came back 
to the first tree. 

They stayed there such a long time 
that I did not see them again. 


128 








Eating Nuts 

Squirrels are very fond of nuts. 

One day I saw two squirrels 
eating some acorns. 

They found the acorns on the ground. 

They sat up on their hind legs, 
and held the nuts 
with their front paws. 

They looked as if they were holding 
the nuts with real hands. 

One Sunday afternoon I had 
some nuts. 

I put the nuts into my pocket 
and went out-of-doors. 

I saw a squirrel. 

I took some nuts from my pocket. 


129 


Then I tapped on the sidewalk 
with a nut. 

The squirrel heard the tapping. 

When he saw me, I held out my hand. 

After some coaxing, 

the squirrel came up 
and took the nut. 

He came up several times. 

I fed him the nuts 

until they were all gone. 

Another time I saw a squirrel 

taking nuts from a man’s hand. 

The squirrel carried the nuts 
to his hole in the tree. 

Perhaps he was saving the nuts 
for winter. 


130 



The Lost Nut 

Once I saw a squirrel with a nut 
in his mouth. 

He carried the nut to a tree, 
and put it into a hollow. 

131 








He wanted to save the nut. 

After he had put the nut away, 
he went down to the ground 
and up another tree. 

He stayed for some time, and 

then came back to the first tree. 

He looked for the nut, 

but he couldn’t find it. 

Do you know what had happened? 

Another squirrel had found the nut 
and carried it away. 

I saw the second squirrel take the nut. 

I felt sorry for the little squirrel 
that lost the nut 
he had tried to save. 

Don’t you feel sorry, too? 


132 


The Squirrel’s Arithmetic 

High on the branch of a walnut tree 
A bright-eyed squirrel sat. 

What was he thinking so earnestly? 
And what was he looking at? 

The forest was green around him, 

The sky blue over his head; 

His nest was in a hollow limb, 

And his children snug in bed. 

He was doing a problem o’er 
and o’er. 

Busily thinking was he; 

How many nuts for this winter’s store 
He could hide in the hollow tree. 


133 


He sat so still on the swaying bough 
You might have thought him 
asleep. 

Oh, no; he was trying to reckon now 
The nuts the babies could eat. 

Then suddenly he frisked about, 
And down the tree he ran. 

“The best way to do, without a doubt. 
Is to gather all I can.” 

Annie Douglas Bell 

Whisky Frisky 
Whisky Frisky, hippity hop. 

Up he goes to the tree-top. 
Whirly twirly, round and round, 
Down he scampers to the ground. 


134 


Otfier Veis 























Come, My Children 


Come, my children, come away. 

For the sun shines bright to-day; 
Little children, come with me. 

Birds and brooks and flowers to see. 

See the little lambs at play 
In the meadows bright and gay; 
How they leap and skip and run. 
Full of frolic, full of fun! 

Bring the hoop and bring the ball; 
Come, with happy faces all. 

Let us make a merry ring, 

Talk and dance and laugh and sing. 


136 



A Pet Goat 

Lottie has a pet goat. 

She keeps it in the woodshed. 
Lottie’s goat has two horns 
which bend backward. 


137 





He has a bearded chin, too. 

This goat is playful and quite tame. 

Sometimes the goat likes to be petted. 

At other times he doesn’t want 
to be touched at all. 

Sometimes Lottie’s goat 
is very friendly. 

But oftentimes he is ugly and cross. 

His actions are different 
at different times. 

He walks, stops short, runs or leaps. 

Sometimes he comes to you 

and sometimes he runs away 
from you. 

Lottie enjoys her goat, and thinks 
that he is an interesting pet. 


138 


The Sheep 

“Lazy sheep, pray tell me why 
In the pleasant field you lie, 

Eating grass and daisies white. 
From the morning till the night; 
Everything can something do. 

But what kind of use are you?” 

“Nay, my little master, nay. 

Do not serve me so, I pray. 

Don’t you see the wool that grows 
On my back to make your clothes? 
Cold, ah, very cold you’d be. 

If you had not wool from me.” 

Ann Taylor 


139 


Mary’s Lamb 

Mary had a little lamb, 

Its fleece was white as snow; 

And everywhere that Mary went, 
The lamb was sure to go. 

He followed her to school one day— 
That was against the rule. 

It made the children laugh and play. 
To see a lamb at school. 

And so the teacher turned him out. 
But still he lingered near. 

And waited patiently about. 

Till Mary did appear. 

And then he ran to her, and laid 
His head upon her arm. 

As if he said, “I’m not afraid— 
You’ll keep me from all harm.’’ 


140 



“What makes the lamb love 


Mary so?” 

The eager children cry. 

“Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,” 
The teacher did reply. 


141 






















The Cow 

The friendly cow all red and white, 
I love with all my heart; 

She gives me cream with all her might, 
To eat with apple tart. 

She wanders lowing here and there. 
And yet she cannot stray, 

All in the pleasant open air. 

The pleasant light of day. 

And blown by all the winds that pass. 
And wet with all the showers. 

She walks among the meadow grass. 
And eats the meadow flowers. 

Robert Louis Stevenson 


142 


f 



In the Meadow 


Over in the meadow, 

Where the brook runs blue, 
The sheep says, “Baa!” 

And the cow says, “Moo!” 


143 










My Father’s Fox 

My father had a fox. 

The fox came from Michigan. 

My uncle gave the fox to my father. 

When we got him, 

he was just a month old. 

He was brown in color. 

We kept him in a big cage 
down by the barn. 

He slept in a little box 
that I got for him. 

He used to try to get out of the cage. 

Sometimes he tumbled over. 

The fox never bit us. 

We kept him for some time. 


144 


Later my father sold him. 

I do not know how much money 
father got for this pet fox. 

I suppose the new owner wanted 
the fox for his beautiful fur. 

The Little Foxes 

Among my tender vines I spy 
A little fox named “By-and-by.” 
Then set upon him quick, I say, 
The swift young hunter “Right-away.” 
Around each tender vine I plant, 

I find the little fox “I can’t.” 

Then, fast as ever hunter ran. 
Chase him with bold and brave 


“I can.” 


145 


Our Monkey 

Now, instead of a fox, 
we have a monkey. 

We have a trapeze for him. 

He climbs up this trapeze. 

He swings himself by his tail. 

We feed the monkey bread. 

He likes peanuts too. 

Sometimes he shakes hands 
with us. 

We talk to him. 

He seems to understand 
what we say to him. 

He acts just like a little old man. 


146 



The Monkey and the Hand-Organ Man 

When my mother was a little girl, 
a hand-organ man 
sometimes came 
to our city. 

His pet monkey would sit 

on top of the hand-organ. 


147 








This monkey wore a green cap, 
a bright red jacket, 
and little black trousers. 

Sometimes he lifted his cap, 
as if he were saying, 

“How do you do!” 

After the hand-organ man 

had played some lively music, 
the monkey collected pennies 
from the people 
who were listening. 

He always brought the pennies 
to his master. 

The monkey did many tricks. 


148 


My mother and her playmates 
were always sorry when the 
hand-organ man went away. 

I wish I could see 

a hand-organ man and a 
monkey sometime soon again. 

The Monkey Man 

The sun in winter goes away 

And makes you light the light, 

But in the summer time it’s day 
All day until it’s night. 

So we just play until at last 
We don’t know what to do. 

And then the monkey man comes past 
And brings the monkey, too. 

Edmund Vance Cooke from Cheerful Children 


149 


Our White Mice 

We had some white mice for pets. 

We kept them in a wire cage. 

The white mice ran round and round 
the cage. 

They liked to ride 

on the merry-go-round 
that was in the cage. 

They worked the merry-go-round, 
and made it go 
round and round. 

One day we went away. 

We forgot to fasten the door 
of the cage. 

The white mice got out. 


150 


When we came back, 
we looked for them. 

But we never found them again. 

You may be sure that we were sorry 
to lose them. 

Next time I shall be more careful 
with my pets. 

A Little Mouse 

Ding dong! ding dong! 

I’ll sing you a song. 

’Tis about a little mouse. 

He looked very cunning 

As I saw him running 
About my father’s house. 

Eliza Lee Pollen 


151 


My Uncle’s White Mice 

My uncle had some white mice. 

One day he brought them 
into the room. 

One mouse crawled 

up my uncle’s sleeve. 

My uncle felt the tickling 
on his arm. 

So he pulled the mouse 
out of his sleeve. 

The other white mouse 
crawled upon me. 

I became frightened, 

and screamed and ran 
around the room. 


152 


My uncle had to take the mice away. 
He put them into the cage. 

I enjoy watching them, but 
I don’t like to have them 
running around the room. 

The Mice 

The little mice stay in their holes 
And hide themselves by day; 

But when the house is still at night 
They all come out to play. 

They climb upon the pantry shelf, 
And taste of all they please; 

They drink the milk that’s set for 
cream, 

And nibble bread and cheese. 


153 


The Two Gold Fishes 

I have two gold fishes 

that Aunt Ruth gave me 
for a birthday present. 

I keep them in a large bowl 
on a table 

near a south window. 

The fishes seem so happy 
as they dart quickly 
back and forth 
in the water. 

They are golden in color, 
and look like twins. 

I call them Golden and Sunny. 


154 


But I don’t know which one is Golden 
nor which one is Sunny. 

Once a week I put fresh water 
into the glass bowl. 

Every day I feed the fish 

some fish food which I buy 
downtown. 

I give them seaweed, too. 

I have had the fishes 
for three months. 

I am going to try 

to take such good care of them 
that my fishes may live 
for a long time. 


155 


Aunt Minnie’s Gold Fish 

Last spring Aunt Minnie 
had a lily pond 
made in her lawn. 

The pond is four feet deep 

and is filled with city water. 

The sides of the pond 
are made of cement. 

Beautiful water lilies grow 
in this pond. 

Some of the lilies are pure white, 
others are rose colored. 

There are also many buds 

that will soon open and become 
lovely water lilies. 


156 


Fifteen fat gold fish have their home 
in this beautiful place. 

Some of the gold fish 

have black spots on their tails. 

They seem so happy, 

living among the water Ulies. 

They Hke the oatmeal 

that my aunt feeds them. 

I think it is the oatmeal 
that makes them so fat. 

When the cold days of autumn come, 
my aunt puts the gold fish 
in a large tub. 

She keeps the tub in the cellar. 

Once a week she changes the water. 


157 


The fish are comfortable 

even in the winter time. 

But I believe that the fish 
hke their lily-pond home 
better than their tub home 
in a dark cellar. 

Where the Stream Runs Blue 

Over in the meadow, 

Where the stream runs blue, 
Lived an old mother fish 
And her Httle fishes two. 
“Swim,” said the mother; 

“We swim,” said the two— 
So they swam and they leaped 
Where the stream runs blue. 

Olive A . Wadsworth 


158 


Frogs at School 

Twenty froggies went to school 
Down beside a rushy pool. 
Twenty little coats of green, 

Twenty vests all white, and clean. 
“We must be in time,” said they; 

“First we study, then we play; 
That is how we keep the rule. 
When we froggies go to school.” 

Twenty froggies grew up fast; 

Bullfrogs they became at last. 
Not one dunce among the lot. 

Not one lesson they forgot. 
Polished in a high degree. 

As each froggie ought to be. 

Now they sit on other logs. 
Teaching other little frogs. 

George Cooper 


159 


About the Book 

A Pet Reader is an outgrowth of group and individual 
oral composition work in a primary classroom. The stories, 
based upon suggestions from children and upon fact and 
observation, have been adapted to the child’s interests and 
mental capacity. The book will commend itself to teachers 
for several reasons. 

1. As the vocabulary in large measure is already a 
part of the child’s oral expression, it will, with economy of 
time and effort, increase his reading equipment. 

2. Because, with few exceptions, the sentences are 
comparatively short, this reader will have a tendency to 
increase fluency, and facilitate thought-getting. 

3. The theme is one of universal interest to child life, 
therefore, A Pet Reader will entertain as well as instruct, 
primary children. A teacher sometimes has to inspire an 
interest in the subject. But the interest in pets does not 
have to be created—it is already present. 

4. The reading material is fresh and attractive—a 
merit that will be appreciated, since so many books offer 
only repetition of folk and fairy tales. While commendable 
in themselves, these prove tiresome to the children because 
of sameness of content. 

5. Little rhymes and bits of verse, supplementing the 
stories, increase the attractiveness of the reading matter. 
All rhymes are intended to be read by the teacher to and 
with the pupils. 

It is hoped that the book may be a source of pleasure 
and profit to teachers and pupils everywhere. 

Edith Wilhelmina Lawson 


160 


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Treatment Date: Oct. 2006 




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